This chapter explores the many unique experiences of converted German Muslims. When they convert, they have to deal with a dramatic loss of status in society—something for which they were not ...
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This chapter explores the many unique experiences of converted German Muslims. When they convert, they have to deal with a dramatic loss of status in society—something for which they were not prepared. Born Muslims grew up learning the limits that society set for them. Even if they struggle against and challenge them, the marginalization they experience is a routine phenomenon. After being marginalized in the mainstream society to which they once unproblematically belonged, German Muslims face another unwelcome surprise when they realize that they do not fit in or not are welcomed by the existing Muslim communities in Germany, predominantly made up of Turkish and Arab communities that constitute the poorest, least educated segments of German society.Less

Giving Islam a German Face

Esra Özyürek

Published in print: 2014-11-23

This chapter explores the many unique experiences of converted German Muslims. When they convert, they have to deal with a dramatic loss of status in society—something for which they were not prepared. Born Muslims grew up learning the limits that society set for them. Even if they struggle against and challenge them, the marginalization they experience is a routine phenomenon. After being marginalized in the mainstream society to which they once unproblematically belonged, German Muslims face another unwelcome surprise when they realize that they do not fit in or not are welcomed by the existing Muslim communities in Germany, predominantly made up of Turkish and Arab communities that constitute the poorest, least educated segments of German society.

This chapter looks at how converted German Muslims seek to practice a so-called true Islam stripped of cultural accretions. In its indigenous German Muslim context, an Islam free of culture means an ...
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This chapter looks at how converted German Muslims seek to practice a so-called true Islam stripped of cultural accretions. In its indigenous German Muslim context, an Islam free of culture means an Islam that has been purged of its often-stigmatized Arab and Turkish cultural practices. Once rectified like this, the reasoning goes, Islam will be more in line not only with its original spirit but also with European ideals of democracy, freedom, and tolerance. In that way, a purified Islam, in the German context, becomes an effort to connect German converts to their parents rather than differentiate them. This process sets apart immigrant Muslims, who are delineated by their traditional and hence by definition “wrong” Islamic practices.Less

Establishing Distance from Immigrant Muslims

Esra Özyürek

Published in print: 2014-11-23

This chapter looks at how converted German Muslims seek to practice a so-called true Islam stripped of cultural accretions. In its indigenous German Muslim context, an Islam free of culture means an Islam that has been purged of its often-stigmatized Arab and Turkish cultural practices. Once rectified like this, the reasoning goes, Islam will be more in line not only with its original spirit but also with European ideals of democracy, freedom, and tolerance. In that way, a purified Islam, in the German context, becomes an effort to connect German converts to their parents rather than differentiate them. This process sets apart immigrant Muslims, who are delineated by their traditional and hence by definition “wrong” Islamic practices.

Every year more and more Europeans, including Germans, are embracing Islam. It is estimated that there are now up to 100,000 German converts—a number similar to that in France and the United Kingdom. ...
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Every year more and more Europeans, including Germans, are embracing Islam. It is estimated that there are now up to 100,000 German converts—a number similar to that in France and the United Kingdom. What stands out about recent conversions is that they take place at a time when Islam is increasingly seen as contrary to European values. This book explores how Germans come to Islam within this antagonistic climate, how they manage to balance their love for Islam with their society's fear of it, how they relate to immigrant Muslims, and how they shape debates about race, religion, and belonging in today's Europe. The book looks at how mainstream society marginalizes converts and questions their national loyalties. In turn, converts try to disassociate themselves from migrants of Muslim-majority countries and promote a denationalized Islam untainted by Turkish or Arab traditions. Some German Muslims believe that once cleansed of these accretions, the Islam that surfaces fits in well with German values and lifestyle. Others even argue that being a German Muslim is wholly compatible with the older values of the German Enlightenment. This book provides a fresh window into the connections and tensions stemming from a growing religious phenomenon in Germany and beyond.Less

Being German, Becoming Muslim : Race, Religion, and Conversion in the New Europe

Esra Özyürek

Published in print: 2014-11-23

Every year more and more Europeans, including Germans, are embracing Islam. It is estimated that there are now up to 100,000 German converts—a number similar to that in France and the United Kingdom. What stands out about recent conversions is that they take place at a time when Islam is increasingly seen as contrary to European values. This book explores how Germans come to Islam within this antagonistic climate, how they manage to balance their love for Islam with their society's fear of it, how they relate to immigrant Muslims, and how they shape debates about race, religion, and belonging in today's Europe. The book looks at how mainstream society marginalizes converts and questions their national loyalties. In turn, converts try to disassociate themselves from migrants of Muslim-majority countries and promote a denationalized Islam untainted by Turkish or Arab traditions. Some German Muslims believe that once cleansed of these accretions, the Islam that surfaces fits in well with German values and lifestyle. Others even argue that being a German Muslim is wholly compatible with the older values of the German Enlightenment. This book provides a fresh window into the connections and tensions stemming from a growing religious phenomenon in Germany and beyond.

This chapter offers some concluding thoughts on how German converts to Islam apply different and at times conflicting strategies in order to demonstrate how Islam is a perfect—and indeed better—fit ...
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This chapter offers some concluding thoughts on how German converts to Islam apply different and at times conflicting strategies in order to demonstrate how Islam is a perfect—and indeed better—fit for German/European society. It also briefly discusses the significance of Salafi communities in this context. In addition, the chapter tells the story of a moral panic over converts to Islam that swept Germany in the 2000s, which suddenly moved German converts from their previously invisible position to center stage in the media. This account highlights the most novel aspects of Islamophobia, with the reason for the panic being the fear of a potential terrorist attack.Less

Conclusion

Esra Özyürek

Published in print: 2014-11-23

This chapter offers some concluding thoughts on how German converts to Islam apply different and at times conflicting strategies in order to demonstrate how Islam is a perfect—and indeed better—fit for German/European society. It also briefly discusses the significance of Salafi communities in this context. In addition, the chapter tells the story of a moral panic over converts to Islam that swept Germany in the 2000s, which suddenly moved German converts from their previously invisible position to center stage in the media. This account highlights the most novel aspects of Islamophobia, with the reason for the panic being the fear of a potential terrorist attack.

This chapter explores Muslim efforts to craft an autonomous and future-oriented policy in the midst of civil and world wars. It begins with an overview of Sarajevo's experience with the largest armed ...
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This chapter explores Muslim efforts to craft an autonomous and future-oriented policy in the midst of civil and world wars. It begins with an overview of Sarajevo's experience with the largest armed resistance movements—the Partisans and Chetniks—analyzing how these movements developed early in the war, what they stood for, and how the Ustashas and the Germans responded to them. Although Sarajevans showed very little support for the armed insurgents, the Ustashas and Germans feared that mass discontent over food, housing, health care, and refugee policies indicated that the city might be preparing for an uprising. These fears led to a spike in police brutality, which in turn contributed to a surge in efforts among the local Muslim elite to break from the Independent State of Croatia (NDH). The new Muslim movements developed into the purest example of collaboration that wartime Bosnia had to offer: the Handžar Division. By examining the internal rifts within the Muslim leadership and the diverse factions that eventually came to support a Muslim-German alliance, the chapter suggests that Muslims aligned with the Germans because they desired a political stake in the new order and an army that could compete against the Partisans, Chetniks, and Ustashas.Less

Dilemmas of the New European Order : The Muslim Question and the Yugoslav Civil War

Emily Greble

Published in print: 2011-02-25

This chapter explores Muslim efforts to craft an autonomous and future-oriented policy in the midst of civil and world wars. It begins with an overview of Sarajevo's experience with the largest armed resistance movements—the Partisans and Chetniks—analyzing how these movements developed early in the war, what they stood for, and how the Ustashas and the Germans responded to them. Although Sarajevans showed very little support for the armed insurgents, the Ustashas and Germans feared that mass discontent over food, housing, health care, and refugee policies indicated that the city might be preparing for an uprising. These fears led to a spike in police brutality, which in turn contributed to a surge in efforts among the local Muslim elite to break from the Independent State of Croatia (NDH). The new Muslim movements developed into the purest example of collaboration that wartime Bosnia had to offer: the Handžar Division. By examining the internal rifts within the Muslim leadership and the diverse factions that eventually came to support a Muslim-German alliance, the chapter suggests that Muslims aligned with the Germans because they desired a political stake in the new order and an army that could compete against the Partisans, Chetniks, and Ustashas.

In a Western world suddenly acutely interested in Islam, one question has been repeatedly heard above the din: where are the Muslim reformers? As the number of Muslims living in the West grows, the ...
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In a Western world suddenly acutely interested in Islam, one question has been repeatedly heard above the din: where are the Muslim reformers? As the number of Muslims living in the West grows, the question of what it means to be a Western Muslim becomes increasingly important to the futures of both Islam and the West. While the media are focused on radical Islam, this book claims that a silent revolution is sweeping Islamic communities in the West, as Muslims actively seek ways to live in harmony with their faith within a Western context. French, English, German, and American Muslims—women as well as men—are reshaping their religion into one that is faithful to the principles of Islam, dressed in European and American cultures, and definitively rooted in Western societies. The book's goal is to create an independent Western Islam, anchored not in the traditions of Islamic countries but in the cultural reality of the West. It begins by offering a fresh reading of Islamic sources, interpreting them for a Western context and demonstrating how a new understanding of universal Islamic principles can open the door to integration into Western societies. The author contends that Muslims can—indeed must—be faithful to their principles while participating fully in the civic life of Western secular societies. This book offers a vision of a new Muslim Identity that rejects the idea that Islam must be defined in opposition to the West.Less

Western Muslims and the Future of Islam

Tariq Ramadan

Published in print: 2005-10-27

In a Western world suddenly acutely interested in Islam, one question has been repeatedly heard above the din: where are the Muslim reformers? As the number of Muslims living in the West grows, the question of what it means to be a Western Muslim becomes increasingly important to the futures of both Islam and the West. While the media are focused on radical Islam, this book claims that a silent revolution is sweeping Islamic communities in the West, as Muslims actively seek ways to live in harmony with their faith within a Western context. French, English, German, and American Muslims—women as well as men—are reshaping their religion into one that is faithful to the principles of Islam, dressed in European and American cultures, and definitively rooted in Western societies. The book's goal is to create an independent Western Islam, anchored not in the traditions of Islamic countries but in the cultural reality of the West. It begins by offering a fresh reading of Islamic sources, interpreting them for a Western context and demonstrating how a new understanding of universal Islamic principles can open the door to integration into Western societies. The author contends that Muslims can—indeed must—be faithful to their principles while participating fully in the civic life of Western secular societies. This book offers a vision of a new Muslim Identity that rejects the idea that Islam must be defined in opposition to the West.